A Horrible Choice
by cheri1
Summary: Eleven/River 10.5/Rose. Several of the people closest to the Doctor is kidnapped and the Doctor must make a horrible choice, which one of the people he cares for dearly will live while the others will die? FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Morning, Grandad," Donna said as she came into the kitchen.

Wilf looked up from reading the morning newspaper and smiled warmly at her.

"Hello, love, get plenty of sleep last night?" he asked her.

"Yeah, for once, I didn't have the usual dream last night. At least I don't remember having the dream," Donna said, kissing his cheek before she walked to the refrigerator.

Wilf sighed. Ever since the Doctor brought her back home, she had been having dreams about him and her adventures in the TARDIS. Wilf knew that's what they were after hearing Donna describe the dreams but Donna had no idea why she kept dreaming about a mysterious man in a blue police box. Wilf noticed that it wasn't affecting her and he figured the perhaps they were remnants of memories the Doctor didn't get when he erased himself from her mind. Since learning that she still had dreams of the Doctor, both Wilf and Sylvia constantly monitored her, scared that one day the memories might return to her conscious mind and kill her. Which was why Wilf usually asked if she slept well. He knew it annoyed her sometimes, his constant pestering about the dream but he would rather have her irritated at him and be alive than be dead from random left over memories of his friend, the Doctor.

Donna was pulling a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator when she heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it, don't get up," Donna said to Wilf.

She sat the carton on the counter, closed the door and walked towards the front door. Wilf turned to the sports section and was perusing it when suddenly he heard Donna's terrified scream. He called her name, leapt up and rant to the front door but by the time he got there, the door was standing wide open and Donna was gone. Wilf ran out the door, looking everywhere for his granddaughter and calling for her but there was no answer and Wilf ran back in the house to get Sylvia.

"Ah," River said, rising from the bed in her cell when she saw her favorite guard, "Algernon, there you are, come to give me my meal?"

Algernon was young with slightly long brown hair and blue eyes. He had a baby face and a charming smile. He reminded River of the Doctor which was why she adored him so much. She loved flirting with him but her heart belonged to only one man and it would stay that way. But her sweetie wasn't here and she was bored and in need of some company. She walked over to the bars of her cell and peered down at the tray in Algernon's hands.

"Spaghetti again?" she said, making a face when she saw a plate filled with it and a side of garlic bread and glass of milk. "Can't we have filet mignon for a change?"

"Sorry, Miss Song, I don't make the rules and I'm not in charge of the kitchen," Algernon said, unlocking the door.

"Yes, but surely a man as influential as you would be able to ask the chef to prepare me something decent that doesn't involve noodles or tomato sauce?" River said sweetly.

She smiled when Algernon blushed at that and took the tray from his hands, giving him a small peck on the cheek as thanks for bringing her meal to her. She set the tray down on a table by the bed and turned back to her friend. She chatted with him for a few minutes until Algernon told her that he needed to get back to work. River gave him another friendly peck on the cheek and Algernon locked her cell door. He waved to her, told her he'd be back to give her dinner and walked on. He got halfway down the corridor when he suddenly heard River yelling for help. He spun around and raced back to the cell but by the time he got there, River had vanished. Algernon tested the door, found it was still locked and looked around for a moment before he raced off to tell his superiors that River was missing again.

(Meanwhile, in the parallel universe…)

Rose came downstairs and found her mother in the kitchen cooking breakfast for everyone. She gave her a good morning kiss before she went off in search of the rest of her family. She found her father and brother in the living room, watching the TV while they waited for breakfast to be served. She gave them pecks on the cheek and wished them good morning before going off in search of the last member of the household.

She found him outside, sitting by the fountain while he meditated. Her fiancé loved to wake up early and watch the sunrise before sitting on the grass near the fountain and meditating. It was his way of getting himself focused for the day. She crept up to him, bent down and studied his face. His eyes were closed and he looked serene. She admired his handsome face before she settled down in the grass beside him.

"You finally found me?" the Doctor said, keeping his eyes closed.

"Of course, you're always out here," Rose said.

"Hmmm, wonder if Torchwood has a Harry Potter invisibility cloak for me to use?"

"Why? You hate that I'm here?"

"No, I just like the idea of having an invisibility cloak," he said, opening his eyes and gazing at her. "Is mummy making eggs?"

"Among other things."

"Groovy, I'll be out here doing the Buddhist thing until she's finished and I can eat."

Rose smiled and kissed him. He deepened the kiss and they snogged for a few minutes until Rose finally got up and with a tousle of his hair, walked back to the house. The Doctor watched her go and then with a contented sigh, turned his attention back to his mediation and closed his eyes. He heard Rose go inside and shut the door, then his eyes snapped open when he heard her scream. He leapt to his feet and bolted to the house. He threw open the door and looked around for Rose, frantically calling her name when he didn't see her anywhere.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The Eleventh Doctor whistled cheerfully while he sat in his seat near the console, reading a book. It was a lazy day on the TARDIS. He, Rory and Amy decided to take the day off and just relax and the Doctor chose to spend that time with a good book. He had no idea what the lovebirds were doing but he figured they were spending time together doing what husbands and wives usually do. He turned the page and read his book while the TARDIS wheezed quietly. She was currently flying through the vortex and he could sense that she also was taking a breather. The mental link between her and him soothed him. Ever since he lost the shared minds of his fellow Time Lords, he depended on the comfort of the symbiotic relationship he had with his beloved ship. When she was happy, he was happy.

He frowned when he suddenly heard the TARDIS grunting to him and he lowered the book.

"What is it, girl?" he said to the console.

The monitor suddenly came to life. There was white snow on it and the Doctor set his book on the floor and went to check on it. He stood there, frowning at the static but little by little he could make out a voice, a voice he hadn't heard in awhile that chilled him to the bone. The voice was still a bit indistinct but he swore it sounded like his tenth self.

"'elp…me," the voice was saying through the static. "…in tro…ble…need…'elp…'ome…qui…"

The Doctor used the typewriter keyboard to try to clear up some of the static since the message was still broken up and indistinct. He was so intent on clearing out the static that he jumped and spun around when someone put their hand on his shoulder. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rory standing behind him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Rory said sheepishly.

"No, it's alright; just busy trying to clear up this signal so a message can get through and…"

He froze when he suddenly heard "Rose" through the static. Rory frowned when he saw his friend turn ashen at that and double his efforts to get a clear signal to the message.

"Help…'ose in…'ble…help!" Rory heard the voice say.

"Damn it, TARDIS, can you help me clear out the static, please?" the Doctor said, throwing his hands up in frustration.

The two men stood by the monitor and watched as the static slowly disappated and the message became clear at last.

"Help me; Rose is in trouble, Doctor. This is your clone in the other universe. I need your help."

"Clone?" Rory said.

"Long story, wait a tic, I'll see if I can respond back to him," the Doctor said, going back to his typewriter keyboard.

"Please, Doctor, I know we were at odds but we both love Rose. She's been taken somewhere and I'm at a loss on what to do, I need your help, please. I beg you for your help."

"Hello?" Rory said tentatively in case the man could hear him. "My name is Rory Williams, I travel with the Doctor. Can you hear me?"

The Doctor paused and watched to see if it worked. For a moment there was silence coming from the monitor and then Rory heard the man again.

"I am the Doctor's clone," he said to Rory. "Thank heavens I got through, wasn't sure if this would work but is the Doctor there?"

"Yes, I'm here," the Doctor said, coming up beside Rory.

There was another pause.

"Doesn't sound like you," the clone finally said.

"I regenerated since I last saw you. What's going on? How did you contact me from across the void?"

"The coral you gave me. I thought perhaps since it was a part of the TARDIS, I might be able to use it to get a signal through. I'm at Torchwood using the dimension cannon to carry the signal across. I hoped the coral would give it the extra umph I needed to get to you. I'm glad it did because I need your help. Rose is missing and we can't find her. Please, I'm begging you, help me! Please…whatever grudge you still hold against me, please set it aside for Rose's sake. You can hate me all you want but please think of her."

"I don't hate you," the Doctor said. "I did what I did because you needed to go somewhere where you could be watched over until you got better and this universe already had a Doctor in it. But that's important now, what happened to Rose?"

The Doctor and Rory listened while the clone explained what happened. While he was talking, Amy came into the console room in search of Rory. She called to Rory but he put his finger to his lips and beckoned to her. Amy came up beside him and Rory whispered what was going on while the Doctor listened.

"I will try to help but you know how hard it is to get across the void without damaging the universes," the Doctor said when he finished. "I don't know if I'll be able to help you or Rose."

"Well, I was thinking if I can use the dimension cannon to get a message to you, I can use it to come to your TARDIS," the clone said.

"But what good will that do if Rose is in your universe?" the Doctor said.

"That's just it, I don't think she is anymore," the clone said.

"How can you be sure?" the Doctor said.

"Because we figured out a way to keep track of her using the artron energy signature on her body. She goes out on missions for Torchwood sometimes and Torchwood uses the energy signature to keep track of her whereabouts like GPS."

"Don't like the sound of that," the Doctor said. "But anyway, go ahead with what you're saying."

"I ran a scan for her on Earth and it only picked up me and Jackie and Mickey. I widened it to the solar system and got the same result. I tried widening it to the known universe and still the same result. I think whatever took her took her to another universe. If they didn't, they know about the artron energy and how to mask it from Torchwood's scanners."

"Can you run a scan for her here?" Rory asked.

"Um…yeah, just a tic, Doctor, I'll see if she registers here," the Doctor said, moving to another part of the console. "I'll isolate our energy signatures and the signatures of anyone who's been in here might register."

"When did you get a clone?" Amy said.

"Awhile back."

"What should we call you then?" Rory said to the monitor.

"Well, I go by Doctor here but to avoid confusion, just call me John or John Smith."

"And who is Rose?" Amy said.

There was silence on the other end.

"You never told them about her, Doctor?" John finally said.

"I didn't feel the need to, Rose isn't here and I prefer to keep some things private," the Doctor said when Amy and Rory looked to him for a response. "She is a dear friend that ended up in another universe and the last time I saw her, I took her back to that universe to be with my clone so they could grow old together."

"I'm half human," John said.

"Half human? Does that mean you're half human as well?" Amy said.

"No, I'm not. It's a long, complicated story and…oh no…John, I isolated everyone that I can think of that's been in here except for Rose and I'm showing one match on the scan. I think you might be right."

"Please save her," John said. "And don't make her come back here if she doesn't want to. I can manage on my own."

"John, you are coming over here, we're going to find her together," the Doctor said.

"I'm not going to destroy the universe, Doctor, now that she's not around."

"I didn't say that but she belongs to you and you should be involved in this. Okay, I'm going to see if the the TARDIS can link to the coral and perhaps use it to give the dimension cannon a boost and guide you here. Can you power up the cannon."

"On it!" John said.

The Doctor asked the TARDIS to try to link with the coral in the other universe. He instructed Amy and Rory to help him with the console and the three of them helped to boost the TARDIS's power and range. The TARDIS indicated on the monitor that she was linked with her coral and the Doctor informed John of that.

"Okay, now do whatever Rose did to bring herself here and the TARDIS will guide you to the ship," the Doctor said. "Hopefully, this will work."

The Doctor pushed a button and the TARDIS shuddered. The three of them held on to the console while the ship vibrated. Then there was an enormous flash and John appeared by the front door.

"Is that him?" Rory said as they came down the stairs towards him.

"Yes," the Doctor said, hurrying to him when he noticed his clone wasn't moving.

He knelt down beside him and examined him.

"He's unconscious; the strain of crossing the void and coming here must have been too much for him. I think he'll be alright though, just needs to recover."

"Is that what you looked like in a previous life then?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, last life," the Doctor said.

"You were cute," Amy said.

"What d'ya mean "were"," the Doctor said.

He chuckled when Amy rolled his eyes at that. He and Rory picked up John and Amy followed him while they took him back to the med bay.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Rose slowly opened her eyes and groaned as she struggled to wake up. She was going back in the house to see about breakfast when someone grabbed her from behind and stuffed a rag over the lower half of her face, she managed to see a bright light envelop her before she lost consciousness. She lifted her head and noticed that the floor seemed to be made of Perspex. She slowly got to her knees and looked around. She was enclosed in a large Perspex cube. The cube was at the back of a concrete room that had nothing in it except two other cubes that were positioned on either side of a heavy wooden door. In one cube was a woman with blonde curly hair but the other cube…

Rose inched forward, getting a look at the woman with ginger hair.

"Donna?" Rose said, putting her hand up against the front of the cube while she looked at the unconscious woman.

She called to the other woman but she didn't respond. Frustrated, Rose sat back with her back against the back of her prison and waited for Donna and the other woman to wake up.

Meanwhile, on the TARDIS, Amy agreed to sit with John and wait for him to wake up while the Doctor and Rory tried to get a lock on Rose's location. They had put John in a small bed in the med bay and covered him with a sheet. Amy was sitting in a wooden chair beside him. She gazed down at the clone Doctor and smiled while she played with a bit of his tousled hair.

"He is cute," Amy said. "Wonder what his other selves look like then?"

She pulled her hand away when John started to come to. He opened his eyes and looked at Amy.

"Damn," John said.

"What? What's wrong?" Amy said.

"Why do I have to be tormented by ginges? Your hair color is what I wish I had," he said.

Amy chuckled at that.

"I can tell you're the Doctor, you have his sense of humor," she said.

"And you are…"

"Amy Pond, I travel with the Doctor. My husband is Rory."

"A married couple, that's a first for me," John said. "I'm assuming by you being here that I'm in the TARDIS?"

"You are. You must have passed out when you were pulled in here, at least that's what our Doctor thinks happened."

"I expect so. It's a rough and risky ride across the void," John said, slowly sitting up.

"Do you want me to get the Doctor?" Amy asked him.

"If you would. I'd appreciate it," John said. "I'm still trying to recover from going across the void but I'd like to speak with him…and see him as well, I'm curious to see what he looks like since he regenerated."

"I'll get him," Amy said.

John thanked her and watched her leave. He looked around the med bay and breathed in the familiar scent of the TARDIS.

"Feels good to be back," he murmured while he looked around. "But Rose…oh my love, I hope you're alright. Hold on, we're coming to get you."

He sensed someone coming to the door and he turned his head and saw the Doctor standing in the doorway.

"Okay, I would say you're Rory, except I doubt Rory wears tweed and a bow tie, so you must be the man himself," John said.

"Bow ties are cool," the Doctor said, coming into the room.

"Wouldn't know, I wear casual clothes now," John said, tugging at his maroon t-shirt. "But you look like you've grown younger, is this a trend now, growing younger with each life?"

"At my age, I need all the youth I can get in order to keep up with the monsters and villains," the Doctor said, sitting down in the chair. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I'm more worried about Rose though," John said.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about that but first, know that I harbor no ill will. If you're here, we're going to have to work together so let's put all that nasty business behind us, yeah?"

"Yeah," John said, nodding. "Rose has been helping me work past my anger."

"Which is why I wanted her with you. I knew she'd help you."

"What about you? Are you alright?" John said.

"I have my days but I'm better than I was, regenerating helped get past some of the darkness I had in my life. I'm just sorry that you won't be able to do the same when the time comes for your body to die."

"M'eh, Rose loves me and that's more than enough for me. I will trade multiple lives to grow old with her."

"Good. Speaking of…back to what I came in here to tell you. I ran another scan in order to pinpoint Rose's location. I didn't edit out anyone because I had the general area but when I ran the scan there were three people in the same place with artron energy signatures."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Positive, I ran the scan three times and each time it picked up three people. I have a feeling Rose wasn't the only one who was abducted."

"Then it might not have been a random abduction if the other two…"

"I thought that since the person brought her over here to her original universe…" the Doctor said.

"Do you know who else might be missing then?"

"Not sure, it could be loads of people; you know how many have been in here over the centuries."

"Yes, but…Rose…they knew enough about Rose to come and get her in our universe and bring her back here so…perhaps they're targeting recent companions?" John said. "Apart from Amy and Rory, who's been traveling with you lately?"

"River."

"River? You met her again?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Where is she? Is she in here too?"

"No, she's in prison."

"What? Why?"

"Supposedly for murder but she won't say who she killed if she killed anyone. Spoilers, you know."

John rolled his eyes.

"What about her then? Could she be a target?" John said.

"Dunno but I can check. We can go to her cell block and make sure she's there."

"What about Donna? Is Donna here?"

The Doctor winced and told his clone what happened to her. John groaned and shook his head sadly.

"I thought that might happen but I hoped it wouldn't. But…even with her memories erased…"

"We can check her as well; I'll land far enough away that if she's at home, she won't hear me. She won't know who I am now anyway, so I don't think there's a danger of her memories being triggered."

"Martha? Do you have Martha's mobile? We could ring her and make sure she's alright."

The Doctor nodded. He stood up and fished the mobile out of his pocket.

"You ring her," he said, handing it to John. "You have the familiar sounding voice and I'd rather she hear that first and then get the news that I regenerated."

John nodded, took the phone and found Martha's number. He hit the talk button and waited while it rang. He smiled when he heard Martha's voice when she answered the phone.

"Hey, Martha, guess who?"

"DOCTOR!" Martha yelled.

The Doctor snickered when John winced at her loud voice and jerked the mobile away from his ear for a second before he put it back to his ear.

"Well, yes and no, this is the Doctor's clone," he said.

"Oh, um…hi, didn't expect you to ring me," Martha said. "But it's good to hear from you.'

"Well, the reason I'm talking to you is because the Doctor regenerated and he has a different voice."

"Is he nearby?" Martha said. "I wanted to know something."

"Yes, he's right here, do you want to talk to him?"

"Yeah, I mean…I'm not trying to get rid of you," Martha said quickly.

John chuckled and told her it was alright, that he understood. Martha told him it was good to hear his voice again and John thanked her before handing the phone to the Doctor.

"This is the original Doctor."

"Wow, you have a nice voice," Martha said.

The Doctor thanked her and told her the reason for calling her.

"Oh God, poor Rose," Martha said when he finished. "Um…no, nothing's happened here. Mickey and I are alright. He's gone down to the shops for some trousers and shirts but as far as I know, he's alright. Do you have any clue who these other two people might be? Is one of them Donna?"

"Dunno, I'm going to go to Chiswick and check though."

"Do you mind if I came with you? I want to help and I want to see what you look like now, sorta curious."

"Yes, I'll come get you. At your mum's house?"

"Yes, I'm visiting with her and she's fine and so is dad and Tish. It isn't any of us. What about Jack though? Have you tried him?"

"No, but I'm not sure where he's at right now. Before I regenerated I found him in a pub on Luna 12. I could check and see if he's back at Torchwood though."

"Speaking of that…that day when you saved us from the Sontaran, we called to you and you never answered us. We're you alright? You seemed sad."

"That was just before I regenerated, I visited everyone I knew and looked in on them in order to say goodbye or at least say a silent goodbye. I wasn't alright since I was dying but I didn't want you or Mickey to worry about me or try to stop me so that's why I didn't answer you when you called to me."

"Oh, we wondered about that. You're right, we would have tried to help you and I s'pose you didn't want that. I'm glad you're still with us."

"Yeah, me too. Listen, let me give the phone back to John here and you can chat with him for a moment. I'm going to come get you and then we'll check on Donna."

"Okay, see you in a few minutes."

The Doctor gave the mobile to John and hurried out of the room while John chatted with her. He spoke with her until they landed outside her mother's house and he ended the call. By the time he made it to the console room, Martha was inside it. John froze and looked around with a slack jaw when he saw the new interior.

"Wow, you redecorated," John said.

"I'll say," Martha said. "It looks great! More like a proper spaceship this time."

"Oi!" the Doctor said while Martha chuckled.

The Doctor introduced Amy and Rory to Martha and Rory introduced himself to John. Once that was finished, the Doctor shut the doors and set a course for Chiswick.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The TARDIS landed one street over from Donna's house. John went with the Doctor so Wilf would know that he was who he said he was. They walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. John stood behind the Doctor just in case Donna answered. Sylvia opened the door and didn't see John at first.

"Yes, what do you want?" Sylvia said. "Wait…" she said when she finally saw John, "Doctor. Oh my God, I'm so glad you're here. Something happened to Donna early this morning."

The Doctor and John groaned.

"Found one of them," John muttered.

Wilf came up behind Sylvia and John smiled when he came outside and embraced him. The Doctor chuckled at the show of love to his clone so he felt bad when he had to tell them who he really was. Both Wilf and Sylvia were in shock when they learned who he really was.

"Oh no, I thought you managed to escape death," Wilf said sadly.

"Well, technically, I did escape death since I'm here but I understand what you're saying," the Doctor said. "So, what happened to Donna?"

Wilf invited both of them in for a cup of tea so they could explain everything. They went to the kitchen and after Sylvia made them some tea, they exchanged information. Wilf and Sylvia were horrified when the Doctor told them that Rose had also been taken.

"Oh, that poor girl," Wilf said. "We didn't know her for very long but she seemed like a sweet woman."

"Do you have any idea where they might be?" Sylvia said.

"Yes. We have a way of tracking them. Everyone who's been in the TARDIS has this harmless background radiation called artron radiation. The TARDIS can use that and track their location."

"Me?" Wilf said, holding up his hand. "Have I got this artron radiation?"

"Perhaps, you weren't in the TARDIS that long. If you do have some, it's a tiny amount," the Doctor said. "But there's more to it, wherever Rose is, there are two more people who have the radiation. One might be Donna but we're still trying to locate the third."

"I wish you luck, Doctor. I wish we could help you," Wilf said. "After my last adventure, my daughter doesn't want me anywhere near that TARDIS."

"I'm only thinking of his age, he's too old to be running around with you," Sylvia said defensively.

The Doctor caught Wilf's eye and they shared a knowing look. Then the Doctor glanced at John and they put their teacups down.

"Right, better get going. We have to check on a few more people to see if they're alright. Thanks for the tea and I swear we'll bring Donna home safe and sound to you."

Sylvia nodded. She wished them luck and told them goodbye but Wilf followed them to the door. He hugged the Doctor tightly.

"Please take care of yourself, both of you. I know it sounds daft but I worry about you lot out there traveling and fighting monsters. And I don't care what my daughter says; I'm not too old to be in your TARDIS."

"Wilf, you blasted missiles out of the sky from an alien spaceship. Trust me, I know you can handle traveling with me," the Doctor said.

"And it's nice to meet you, take care of Rose and bring her back safely," Wilf said, hugging John.

"Believe me, I will, on both counts," John said.

He bid them goodbye and stood at the door, watching fondly while they walked back to the TARDIS. Once they got back inside, they told everyone what they learned.

"So, we have to search for the final missing person," Rory said.

"Yes, and I think we should visit River's cell first and make sure she's there before seeing if Jack is back in Cardiff. Hold tight, everyone."

The Doctor flew the TARDIS to River's cellblock. He landed across from it and when he opened the door, he groaned when he noticed it was empty. Everyone else came out the door and Rory and Amy groaned.

"No, she's the third person?" Amy said, her spirits sinking.

"Wait, they might have taken her someplace. I wanna find a guard and confirm it," the Doctor said.

They managed to find Algernon who confirmed that River was missing and he told them what he knew. When he was finished, they thanked him and walked back to the TARDIS.

"This is weird," Martha said while they walked back to the TARDIS. "Why take them? Is there a connection? Rose and Donna traveled with you but I'm sorry, I don't know this River, did she travel with you as well?"

"Not full time but she's helped us out on occasion."

"From her prison cell?" Martha said.

The Doctor cleared his throat loudly while Amy giggled.

"No, River escapes from time to time to come help us and then comes back," Rory said.

"And they let her do that?" John said.

"Um…I don't know if they let her do it, I just think River is clever enough to escape and not leave tracks behind," the Doctor said as they reached the TARDIS. "As for a connection…well, I've had relationships with Rose and River and Donna…I cared for Donna dearly. She was my best mate but she was also like a sister to me."

"So this person or people are taking people who matter most to you?" Rory said.

"Yes, but I cared about everyone I traveled with," he said to Rory as they went inside.

"But you loved Rose; I know that just from traveling with you and listening to you talk about her. She was something more than just a friend, yeah?"

"And so is River," Amy said.

"And Donna…" the Doctor finished. "So this is about me, I'm the main target and whoever is doing this is taking people I care deeply about."

"Do you think we should go get Jack then?" Martha said. "Just so we can have some extra help?"

The Doctor considered that and then nodded.

"Yeah. Besides, he'd be upset if he was left out, especially since Rose is involved. He'll want to charge headfirst into her prison and pummel anyone who stands in his way. However, I think there's another way to find him. TARDIS, can you locate Jack? I know that you'd be able to find the only immortal man in the universe."

The TARDIS came to life and the Doctor zipped around the console while everyone else held on. Five minutes later, the TARDIS stopped and when the Doctor opened the door, he groaned when he noticed he was in the car park of another space pub.

"Jack, come on, the 456 was not your bloody fault, quit drinking yourself blind over it," the Doctor muttered as he walked towards the door of the metallic building. "I've done much worse and sacrificed much more and I'm not in a pub drinking myself blind."

He entered the pub and coughed at the thick smoke from cigarettes and hookahs. He walked around the crowded pub, looking for the familiar WW2 coat he wore and he sighed when he spotted him sitting at the bar, drinking a pint of lager. He strolled over to the bar stool beside him, sat down and gave him a pointed look. Jack finished taking a swig of the lager, put the glass down on the counter and gave the Doctor a confused look. Then he looked him over and the Doctor could see his bleary eyes and knew he was drunk.

"If you're wanting to spend the night with me," Jack slurred, " you're gonna have to lose the tweed. I don't go for teachers."

"It's the Doctor, Jack," the Doctor said, trying to contain his anger.

"Doctor who?" Jack slurred.

Then the Doctor's words registered in his drunken mind and he snapped to attention.

"Doctor?" he said, looking him over. "Again? What happened this time?"

"Never mind what happened. I need your help and I need you to be sober."

"You mean you don't have another potential ex for me to bed down?" Jack said before taking another swig of lager. "Sorry but Alonzo didn't pan out."

"Rose is in danger."

Jack froze with the glass halfway to his lips.

"Isn't that your responsibility? I mean, she's traveling with you, right?"

"No, I took her and the clone back to the other universe and they were there until earlier today when someone abducted Rose and brought her back here. The clone, John, is here because he begged for help to find her and used a dimension cannon to catapult himself here. And Martha is here along with my regular traveling companions, Amy and Rory. Martha asked me to come find you because Rose is not the only one who's been taken. We think Donna and a friend of mine called River are with her and whatever has them is targeting me. Martha asked me to come find you so you could help but if you're three sheets to the bleedin' wind, I'm leaving you right here. Good night, Jack."

"Wait!" Jack said, grabbing his arm. "No, I wanna help, especially if Rose and Donna are in trouble. I don't know who River is, but any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

"Then will you let me sober you up because you couldn't rescue yourself in the state you're in, let alone Rose and Donna and River."

"Yes, just point me to the TARDIS," Jack said, slowly getting up.

"Oh, honestly, Jack, look at you," the Doctor said, helping his friend while Jack walked unsteadily towards the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Oh God, Jack," Martha moaned when the Doctor came through the door with him.

Martha got on the other side and helped the Doctor walk Jack up the stairs to the med bay. Rory, Amy and John watched while they left the room.

"Is he usually like that?" Amy said to John. "I didn't think the Doctor would tolerate a drunk traveling with him."

"No, usually he's clean and sober; at least he never drank while he traveled with me. On the other hand, the man is quite the party animal and Rassilon only knows what he was doing when the Doctor found him."

"I hope the Doctor can sober him up," Rory said.

"No worries, there are many things in the med bay that could quickly sober him up. He'll be right as rain soon," John said.

"Doctor, do you need help?" Martha said when they brought Jack into the med bay and got him to sit on the examination table.

"Yes, that drawer over there," the Doctor said, pointing off to his right. "I think there's a vial with a milky liquid in it. Could you fetch it for me while I gather a few things?"

"Yup," Martha said, hurrying to the drawer.

"Why are you even bothering with me, Doctor?" Jack said in a slurred voice while the Doctor rifled through another drawer.

"Because I care about you, Jack," the Doctor said while he pulled out a glass beaker. "Because we need your help and it's time to stop drinking and start living up to your responsibilities again."

"I let everyone down, I killed my own grandson. I killed an innocent boy," Jack said bitterly.

"I killed an entire planet filled with people and much more besides," the Doctor said as he pulled out a vial containing a purple liquid and poured some into the beaker. "I've done horrible things, things I will never forgive myself for but I know enough to pick myself up and move on and not spend the rest of my lives drowning my sorrows in booze. Yes, Martha, that's what I need, thanks," the Doctor said when Martha came up to him with a small vial of white liquid. "We need to combine this with several other liquids and this will clear up his head almost instantaneously….if he'll drink it."

"I'll drink it, only because Rose and Donna are in danger. I don't know this River, otherwise I'd add her to the list," Jack said while Martha walked over to him. "Good to see you again, Miss Jones…I mean, Mrs. Smith, how is Mickey Mouse?"

"He's fine, he knows I'm doing this but he decided not to come along," Martha said. "He does a lot of freelance work and he just got done with an alien hunting assignment and he was shagged out so he went to the shops and as much as he loves Rose, he knows with all of us here, she'll be in good hands so he made the choice to sit it out."

"Funny how I wasn't given that choice," Jack said.

"Oh, I believe you were given that choice, Harkness," the Doctor said as he mixed his concoction together. "I don't recall putting a gun to your head in that pub. You're here because you want to be. And now that I've finished this, you can be here with a clear head."

He brought the beaker over to Jack. Jack took it and Martha helped him steady it while he drank the liquid inside. He made a face when he finished.

"Ugh, I don't know what that was but it was disgusting," Jack said to the Doctor. "I hope you aren't planning to mass produce that drink, Doctor."

"Not unless you insist on getting pissed every chance you get," the Doctor said. "Honestly, Jack…never mind, not gonna say anymore about it," he added, when he noticed Jack getting angry. "It's your life and your decision whether or not to waste it. I only ask that you stay sober while we rescue Rose, River and Donna."

"I'm not going to take a drink while I'm with you. I'd hate to hear another lecture from you…Dad."

Jack quickly shut his mouth when he saw the pissed off look on the Doctor's face. He mumbled an apology and the Doctor shook his head and grumbled to himself while he walked out of the room.

"Jack, he's concerned about you," Martha said when he was out of earshot.

"The Doctor is concerned about his girlfriend, that's why he pulled me out of that pub to help him rescue her," Jack said. "He leaves me behind when he finds it convenient. He left me behind after I became immortal and he left me on Earth to fight the 456 with just my team. He could have done something to help and he didn't."

"Maybe he wasn't meant to interfere," Martha said. "There are some things he can't interfere with."

"Oh bullshit, Martha, that's just an excuse to sooth his conscience when he fails to prevent something from happening," Jack spat out. "He wasn't there when I lost Ianto, now he expects me to go rescue Rose? Why should the love of my life die when his lover gets to live?"

"I don't know, Jack, all I know is you can't do this to yourself," Martha said. "You're needed on Earth. You can't spend the rest of your life in a space pub."

"Yeah? Watch me," Jack said.

"Jesus, Jack, you've become a stranger now," Martha said, shaking her head as she walked past him towards the door.

Jack watched her go out of the room before he let out a ragged sigh and lowered his head into his hands. He began to weep softly as guilt and regret flooded his mind. The drink the Doctor gave to him cleared up his mind and he was now sober but he wished he hadn't drunk it. He wished he hadn't followed the Doctor back into the TARDIS and drank himself into oblivion so he could forget everything that'd happened over the past year. The memory of Ianto tore at his heart and he felt himself growing even angrier that the Doctor wasn't around to help him fight the 456 and prevent the loss of his lover. He wept harder, his hand over his eyes, as his pent up emotions came pouring out of him. Then he felt a hand on his back.

"Martha told me what you said," the Doctor said gently. "I'm sorry about Ianto but Martha guessed correctly. I couldn't interfere. I'm sorry you lost Ianto and your grandson."

"You let them die but you want me to rescue Rose?" Jack said in a ragged voice while he took his hand away from his face.

"Yes, because this time we can interfere and Rose is depending on us. I'm not asking you to rescue her when I was unable to rescue Ianto. It's not a life for a life. Rose isn't any more important than Ianto or Donna or River, everyone is important in their own way. I'm not being selfish, I just thought since you cared about Rose so much, you'd want to be involved. If you don't, you can stay in the TARDIS. No one's forcing you to do this, it's your decision."

"No, I can't let Rose or the others die," Jack said. "Not after Ianto and Steven, I can't let others die senselessly."

"I'm glad," the Doctor said, patting his back. "I missed ya, old friend. You may not believe that, but I'm glad to see you again."

"Yeah, same here, you look good…except…what the hell happened to your face, did you get burned or something?"

"No…why?"

"Where the hell are your eyebrows?" Jack said, leaning in. "You only got about three hairs on either side of your face. You didn't singe your eyebrows off at some point?"

"No," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes. "That's how I turned out."

"Maybe the regeneration energy burned them off then," Jack said.

"Not listening, Jack!" the Doctor said as he walked towards the door.

Jack chuckled and hopped off the table.

"Or maybe you had so much eyebrow in the last life," he yelled as he followed him out the door. "That your new body went on strike and decided three hairs above each eye would be just fine!"

"Not listening, Jaaaack!" the Doctor yelled back at him.

Jack chuckled again and walked to the console room. By the time he got there, the Doctor was asking the computer to lock in on Rose, Donna and River's artron energy signatures. Jack came down the stairs slowly, looking around at the revamped console room.

"So…is the brand spanking new console room here to hide the fact that you are now Doctor Nobrows?" Jack said as he jumped off the last step onto the glass floor.

The Doctor began to hum loudly while Jack snickered and patted him fondly on the back.

"Don't worry, Doc, the Mona Lisa look looks good on ya," he said.

"I liked him better when he was drunk," the Doctor said to the others while Jack giggled and gave him another pat on the back.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Rose scooted closer to the front of her cell when she noticed Donna was waking up.

"Donna?" she said while Donna groaned and struggled to wake up. "Donna, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I…I s'pose so, just…groggy," Donna said, struggling to sit up.

"Someone drugged me, I think they did the same to you and to whoever that is over there," Rose said, pointing to River. "Don't know who she is and she's still unconscious."

Donna finally managed to sit up and get a good look at Rose. She frowned when she realized she didn't know who she was. She asked who she was and Rose gave her a confused look.

"I'm Rose, don't you remember?" she said.

"Um…"

Donna was about to say she didn't know who she was but something seemed familiar about her. Looking at her, she swore she'd seen her before even though she couldn't think where that might be.

"I don't know," Donna finally said. "You don't look familiar and at the same time, I know you from somewhere."

"Maybe you're still recovering from the effects of being drugged," Rose said. "Just relax and maybe you'll remember."

"Um…yeah…" Donna said, looking around. "Where are we?"

"No idea, I woke up in this box and no one's been in here. Just the three of us."

Donna looked at River and frowned. Once again, she didn't know the woman and yet…her face looked familiar. Donna let out a frustrated sigh and sat back against the back of the cube. She looked over when five minutes later River started waking up. Both women watched while she slowly woke up and looked around. She looked at Rose and then Donna.

"Who are you and where am I?" she said to them.

"I'm Rose."

"I'm Donna and we don't know where the hell we are," Donna said to River.

"River Song, nice to meet you," River said to them while she looked at her prison.

She banged on the side of her prison and sighed angrily.

"Bollocks, from one prison into another," she said. "And now I'm wondering if the Doctor knows I'm gone."

"The Doctor? You know him?" Rose said.

"Yeah, you know him too?"

"Yeah, I traveled with him once," Rose said. "She did too," she said, pointing to Donna.

"I…did?" Donna said. "I don't recall traveling with any Doctor. Doctor who?"

"Blimey, they must have really drugged you, Donna," Rose said.

"I don't know," Donna said. "Why would they drug me more heavily than you lot? I'm nobody special."

Rose was confused. She was listening to Donna but Donna wasn't acting like herself. She couldn't understand why Donna didn't seem to recognize her or know who the Doctor was. She wondered if they did something to alter her mind.

_But why would they do that to her and not to me or River?_ Rose thought.

Then she had another thought. She suddenly realized that if she was in the same room with Donna, then she must be back in her own universe again. Her heart sank when she realized she was across the void and away from her human Doctor, the only Doctor who probably knew she'd been kidnapped.

_Unless…Donna was still traveling with the original Doctor. Oh God, say he's looking for her now so he can find me,_ she thought.

"Damn it, there has to be a way to contact the Doctor and let him know we're in here," River said after hitting the side of her prison.

"I'd like to contact granddad since I don't know this Doctor," Donna said.

"Then why are you here if you don't know him?" River said. "I worked out that Rose and I are connected since we know the Doctor but what about you?"

"She does know him," Rose said.

"No, I don't," Donna said.

"Yes, you do. You know me as well. I helped you when you were stuck in that alternate reality and we helped the Doctor defeat Davros. You know me and you know the Doctor, you just can't remember that for the moment. What about you, River? Do you know her?"

"No, never seen her before in my life," River said, shaking her head.

"But why do I know you then?" Donna blurted out.

"I'm sorry?" River said.

"I mean, I don't know you or her but somehow, I do…I can't think where I would have seen you lot but you just look familiar to me and…"

"I think they did something to you, Donna," Rose said when Donna shook her head in confusion. "I think they altered your memories but not all of them and you remember us but you can't consciously remember where you know us."

"But why would they do that?" River said.

"Yeah, what makes me so special that they'd take out a huge chunk of my memories?" Donna said.

"Because you were the DoctorDonna," Rose said.

"I was what?" Donna said.

"You merged with the Doctor and took his mind into your own and you helped stop Davros. Maybe whoever is doing this to us needs your mind and they're blocking your memories so you can't fight back."

"Then why are you here?" Donna said, pointing to her and River. "If they need me, why are you here with me?"

"Dunno, but you have the Doctor's mind and that makes you more dangerous than us," Rose said.

"Oh, I don't know. I can be pretty dangerous when I wanna be," River said. "And if they don't let me out of this cell, I'm gonna bash a few heads in."

They shut up when the door opened on its own. They waited but they couldn't see anyone, only a corridor outside the open door.

"Okay, that's odd," Donna said. "They have a problem with keeping this door closed or something?"

"Hello?" River yelled. "Is someone there?"

There was no reply and River shrugged.

"Maybe it is a faulty door," she said.

But Rose suddenly had a funny feeling that someone was in the room with them. Gooseflesh broke out on her arms and she got chills down her spine when she sensed something was nearby.

"Hello?" she yelled. "There's someone in here with us, show yourself!"

There was no reply and Rose shook her head.

"It's not just a wonky door, something is in here with us, I can feel it," she said to River and Donna. "It's over here with me, I'm getting gooseflesh."

"I don't see anything," Donna said, looking around.

"I don't either but that doesn't mean anything," River said. "She's right, I can sense something in the room with us and whatever it is better show itself."

Suddenly, the Tenth Doctor materialized out of thin air and stood in front of Rose's cell. Rose was struck dumb for a moment seeing the man she loved standing there and it took her a few seconds to regain the power of speech.

"Doctor? Is that you?" she said, daring to hope that perhaps he found a way to rescue them. "Are you the Doctor or my human Doctor?"

She frowned when the Doctor didn't say anything and just kept staring at her. Then he turned and walked over to Donna. Donna raised her eyebrow when the Doctor stared down at her.

"Um…hi?" she said hesitantly.

The Doctor stared at her for a few minutes. Then it turned to River and River gasped when the being shapeshifted into the Eleventh Doctor and walked over to her cell.

"Okay, I know the Doctor isn't capable of shapeshifting without regeneration so who the hell are you?" River said.

"Who's that?" Rose said, pointing to the Eleventh Doctor.

"It's the Doctor," River said.

"It is? But the man he was before was the Doctor."

"That was a previous regeneration of the Doctor. This is the Doctor's eleventh life. This is how I know him," River said.

"His eleventh life?" Rose breathed as she got up on her knees. "Wait, he…he regenerated again?"

"Um…perhaps, you knew him in his previous life?" River said.

"Yeah, the first Doctor, that's what he looked like the last time I saw him."

"I don't know either one," Donna said, shaking her head.

"Well, this is not the Doctor because the Doctor can't change his body at will so who the hell are you?" River said to the being standing near her cell. "Why have we been brought here? Where are we?"

"River," the being said using the Doctor's voice.

"And don't imitate his voice, show us who you really are, you son of a bitch," River said. "You're not worthy to lick that man's shoes, let alone impersonate him. Now show us your true form."

"You love him, don't you?" the being said, pointing to himself.

"The Doctor? Yes, I do. If you mean you, no I don't love you, whoever you are, and I'm finding it harder to keep my temper at bay seeing you like this so quit impersonating him."

The being turned back to Rose and assumed the form of the Tenth Doctor as he walked towards her.

"And I feel the same way, stop impersonating the Doctor and show us what you really look like," Rose said angrily.

The being stopped in front of her cell and stared down at her while Rose sighed angrily.

"How long are you gonna stay with me?" the being suddenly asked.

Rose's heart lurched. It was the question he asked her long ago when they stood together on Minus 13 watching the manta rays gliding through the sky. The question that she answered with "Forever." Rose felt her anger increasing as the being stared down at her impassively.

"Go away if all you're gonna do is torment us," she said, waving her hand towards the open door. "I don't need to hear his words coming from your mouth."

"Rose," the being whispered.

"I said, go away!" Rose yelled at the being.

The being turned away and assumed the form of the Eleventh Doctor again.

"And you can stop tormenting me as well," River said as the being walked towards her.

"Hello, honey, I'm home."

"Shut up!" River yelled at the being as he stared down at her.

"Now I love a bad girl, me," the being said. "But trust you…"

"I said, shut up!" River yelled.

The being turned back to Rose and assumed the form of the human Doctor.

"I'm part human, specifically the aging part. I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life, Rose Tyler; I could spend it with you…if you want."

Rose glared silently at the being while River stared at Rose with a confused look on her face.

"Wait, what is he talking about?" River said, pointing to the being. "If he's pretending to be the Doctor and saying things the Doctor said to us…"

"It's impersonating the Doctor's clone, my fiancé," Rose said.

"Clone? When the hell did he get a clone?" River said. "But at the beginning, when he first started speaking, was that the clone as well? When he said how long will you stay with me?"

"No, that was the actual Doctor. It was something he said to me," Rose said while the being watched them.

"And what did you say to that?" River said.

"I told him I'd stay with him forever," Rose said.

River stared at her in disbelief. She glanced up at the being who was watching her.

"Who is she?" River said, pointing to Rose.

The being morphed into the suit wearing Doctor.

"She is my beloved Rose, the woman I love above all others," the being said.

He turned to Rose and morphed into the Eleventh Doctor.

"And this is River Song," he said to Rose while he pointed to River, "the woman who is destined to become my wife."

"What?" Rose and River said in unison.

Donna watched in silent confusion while both women stared at each other in disbelief. River's face fell as she looked at Rose.

"You're not serious," she finally said to the being. "The Doctor and I…"

"Rose was the Doctor's first love, honey," the being said to her.

He turned to Rose.

"River is the one he fell in love with after he left you in the other universe."

"Is that true?" Rose said to River.

"Yeah, the Doctor and I…we're lovers. Is it true what he's saying about you?"

Rose nodded. River looked at Donna.

"And you? Are you one of his lovers too?"

"I don't know the man," Donna said. "I don't know why I'm here. I can't remember any of you!"

The being shifted to the Tenth Doctor. Donna scooted to the back of her prison, suddenly frightened when the being came towards her. She gasped when her prison suddenly vanished and she lost the support of her back. She quickly stood up and backed away while the being came towards her.

"Leave me alone, go away!" she said, batting at the air in front of the being.

Rose and River yelled at the being to leave her alone as it backed Donna up into a corner. Donna tried to get away but the being put his hands on the side of her face and Donna froze while the being closed his eyes.

"No! What are you doing to her?" Rose yelled as she hit the walls of her cell.

"I am putting up a safeguard in her mind and restoring her memoires to her," the being said aloud while it kept its eyes closed. "Donna Noble will remember who she is now."

Slowly, recognition dawned on Donna's face as the being restored her missing memories to her. When the being was finished, it stepped back and Donna took a step away from it. She looked at Rose and started walking towards her prison while the being slowly followed her.

"Leave us alone, whatever you are, let us go," Donna said.

"Do you remember me, Donna Noble?" the being asked.

"I remember the Doctor. I remember Rose and River, yes," Donna said.

"You remember me? We've never met before," River said.

"Yes, we did. In The Library," Donna said, glancing at her.

"Library?" River muttered to herself. "Shit, must have happened in my future or something because I have no idea who you are."

"What do you want with us?" Rose said when Donna reached her cell and stood by it.

"You three are the Doctor's beloveds. You three are the ones he treasures most," the being said. "You will be used at bait to lure him to me."

"And then what?" Donna said.

"Then he must make a choice," the being said.

"What sort of choice?" River said.

The being didn't reply. He waved his hand and Rose's prison extended to envelop Donna. Donna slapped the side of the prison and cursed. Rose stood up and all three of them watched while the being turned and suddenly vanished from sight. They watched helplessly as the door closed, leaving them alone in their captivity.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Donna sat beside Rose in the enlarged cube feeling angry and betrayed. Now that she had her memories restored to her, she remembered what the Doctor did to her and even though she knew he had done it to save her life, it still hurt to think that he robbed her of all those precious memories of her time with him. She had been sent back to a mediocre life because of him and it pissed her off. She glanced at Rose and noticed Rose was sitting at the back of the cell, her head down while she stared quietly at the floor of their prison.

"Rose?" Donna said, touching her arm.

Rose looked up and managed a small smile.

"You alright?" Donna said.

"S'pose. I'm just upset," Rose said softly while she went back to staring at the floor.

"Yeah, me too. The Doctor took away my memories even though I didn't want him to," Donna said.

"Why would he do that?" Rose said, looking at her.

"Because that Time Lord mind was killing me, it was too much for my brain to handle and in order to save my life; he took it all away including the memories of him and our travels."

"So that's why you didn't know me anymore?"

"Yeah, he took it all away except for some scattered subconscious memories that kept popping up in my dreams," Donna said.

"And you say you met me before," River said to her.

"Yeah, in The Library. 'Cept you had brown hair then."

River raised her eyebrow.

"There's something odd about my time stream. Each time I see the Doctor, he keeps getting younger."

"How'd ya mean?" Rose said.

"I mean, that somehow I'm going backwards in the Doctor's personal time line and each time we meet, it's further back along his time line. I know it's hard to explain but I can remember things we did together that he can't remember. I keep a diary and I try to compare what I have in my diary with what we've done each time I see him just so I know where I am in his personal time line. Meeting Donna must be something in the Doctor's past that I haven't gotten to yet and I've never had brown hair so it definitely must be something from his past."

"When I meet you, the Doctor is his tenth self," Donna said.

"Then that's in his past. I'm going back along his time stream and at the moment I'm still with his eleventh life," River said.

"So…one day you're gonna see him and it'll be the Doctor we know," Rose said, gesturing to herself and Donna.

"Yes," River said, nodding.

"Blimey, I'm glad that didn't happen to me," Donna said to Rose. "It's confusing enough traveling with him in normal time without going back into his past."

Rose nodded. She looked at River and her heart hurt all over again.

_He forgot me,_ she thought to herself. _As soon as he regenerated, he forgot me and fell in love with this woman. If I didn't have my Doctor, I would be all alone. Maybe he knew that would happen and that's why he left me with my Doctor. _

Suddenly, Rose dreaded seeing the Doctor again. She didn't want to see River in the arms of the man she still loved and for the first time in her life, she wanted to go back to the other universe so she wouldn't have to witness him kissing and loving someone else. The thought of the Doctor forgetting her and falling in love with another woman filled her with despair and her head drooped while she stared at her hands.

While she was doing that, River was also hurting as she looked at Rose. The fact that she hadn't been the Doctor's first love hurt her deeply. She didn't hate Rose or bear her any ill will since she suspected the Doctor had loved Rose long before he ever met her but it still depressed her when she imagined her Doctor asking the woman across the room how long she was going to stay with him. The idea of the Doctor having a clone intrigued her since the Doctor never mentioned having one. Then again, the Doctor also never mentioned Rose.

_She said the clone was her fiancé,_ River thought to herself while she gazed at Rose. _Wonder if the Doctor would have still loved me if Rose wouldn't have landed up with his clone? I wonder if one of the reasons we're here is because that shape shifting thing wanted to torment us by revealing that we're not the only lover the Doctor's had. But Donna…what's her story? How many women has my darling had before me?_

"Donna," she said aloud.

"Yeah?" Donna said.

"Now that you have your memories back, what's your relationship to the Doctor? Are you another lover of his?"

"No. I'm just a friend of his," Donna said.

"Must be a very good friend if you're one of the ones the Doctor treasures the most," River said.

Donna shrugged.

"I s'pose we were best mates but I never had a romantic relationship with him," Donna said.

"So…two lovers and a best mate," River said. "And the Doctor has to make a choice? I would have guessed he has to chose between lovers but if Donna here is just his friend…"

She noticed Rose was still looking at her hands and she guessed why she looked so dejected.

"Rose, look at me," she said to her.

Rose raised her head and River gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Look, I know it's painful to hear that the Doctor loved someone else. It's painful for me as well because I thought I was his first love and I know you thought you were the only one. But I have a feeling that you and I were loved by different Doctors which is why that thing kept shape shifting back and forth between us. I don't think we ever competed with each other for his affections, especially since you said that his clone is your fiancé? I don't know you all that well but I'd rather not have you for a rival, especially since I don't think we were really in competition to begin with. You said you were from a parallel universe?"

"Yes," Rose said. "I was trapped there several years ago and found my way back and then the Doctor sent me back with his clone. It's a long, complicated story. I do love the other Doctor but I also love the original Doctor and I'm sorry, it's just a shock…"

"I know, hon, for me as well," River said gently. "He never spoke about you or mentioned this clone of his."

"It's probably because he's forgotten me," Rose said.

"I don't think so," River said. "I don't think he forgets anyone he's traveled with and if you love him as much as I do and loved him as deeply as I do and he returned that love, then I doubt he's forgotten who you are. Sweetie, I think the Doctor does what he always does in a situation like this; he tucks you away deep within his hearts and never speaks of you to anyone else because you were special to him and he doesn't want to share you with anyone. Not to mention I'm sure it was painful for him to lose you and that's also why he never mentioned you to me. Most people have several relationships during their lifetime and the Doctor's no different. I don't want us to be at odds over this, Rose, especially if he did love us at different times in his life. It would be different if I stole him from you or vice versa but I don't think that's what happened. At any rate, we need to band together to get ourselves out of here or at least survive long enough for the Doctor to find us. What'd ya say, truce on any possible catfights over the Doctor?"

Rose smiled at that.

"Yeah, I call a truce. To be fair, I'm engaged to his clone and I don't want to tear up that relationship to go after the Doctor, especially since he left me with his clone in the first place. He made his decision and I made mine and you're right, I don't want to hate someone I barely know, especially if the Doctor did decide to move on with his life. I can't fault him for that since I did the same with his clone. I'd like to be friends if you want that."

"Yes, I'd love that," River said. "You seem like a nice woman; actually you seem like someone the Doctor would be interested in. I can see why he fell in love with you."

"Same here," Rose said.

"Hurray, you're not gonna be at each other's throats and I won't be in the middle of some enormous catfight," Donna said.

Rose chuckled at that.

"Nah, we need to save our energy on getting out of here," Rose said.

"Yes, especially since we have no idea if the Doctor knows we're missing," River said.

"If we're bait, I'm sure whatever that thing was will make sure he knows," Rose said.

"Yes, that's true. But just the same, we shouldn't have to wait till he comes to get rescued. We need to start strategizing."

"But what if that thing is listening in?" Donna said.

"Damn, you're right," River said, looking around. "Well, despite that, we still need to think of a way to get out of here and get back to the Doctor or at least get a message to him so he knows our location. We can't let that shape shifting bastard stop us."

Rose nodded. She settled back against her prison and drew her knees up to her chest while she silently prayed for a way out of their situation.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Right, I got a lock on their location," the Doctor said. "Now all we have to do is wait till the TARDIS takes us to them."

"Suppose the TARDIS got it wrong and it's not Rose and Donna and River," John said.

"Well then, it's someone who's been in here since artron energy is only found inside the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "If it's three of my companions having a tea party, we'll say hello to them but somehow I doubt that's what it is. I think we're going to find our three missing women when we open the door."

"And you think they're just gonna let you waltz in, take back Rose, River and Donna and waltz right out again," Amy said.

"No, which is why we're going to be alert and prepared for anything," the Doctor said.

The TARDIS landed and powered down.

"And this is the time to prepare yourself, kiddies," the Doctor added. "Now…let's go see about getting our friends back, shall we?'

Rose, Donna and River sat in their prisons, completely bored while they waited for something to happen. Then suddenly, the wall behind Rose disappeared and she let out a surprised yell as she started to fall back. She caught herself with her elbows but before she could say anything, there was a flash of blinding light. When the light faded, Rose opened her eyes slowly and noticed she was in another metal room, except now there was a huge chasm between her and the door. She got up and walked over to the chasm. It was about twenty feet wide and from her vantage point, it looked bottomless. Rose stepped back, half afraid that the floor would disappear from under her feet and she would fall into the gaping hole. She looked around but the room was devoid of anything except for the chasm and the door that was across the way. She wondered why she was sent to this room but figured that she'd learn the answer soon enough. She sighed as she slid down the back wall and put her knees up to her chest, waiting for something to happen.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and his friends were stepping outside the TARDIS. They were in a metal room with no furniture or decorations, only a solitary wooden door. The Doctor tried the door and found it locked. He tried his screwdriver and cursed under his breath when he couldn't open it.

"They know about my screwdriver, this is a deadlock seal," the Doctor said to everyone. "Apparently, we're trapped here."

"Until something happens," Amy said.

"Yes, and I'm sure something will happen soo…"

Everyone yelled when a bright light enveloped the Doctor and cut him off mid-sentence. When the light faded he was gone.

Rose was sitting against the wall when she saw the bright light on the other side of the chasm. When it faded, she saw an unfamiliar man stagger around for a moment while he tried to get his bearings. Then the man spied her.

"Rose," he said.

Rose's heart began to race when she suddenly realized who the man must be.

"Doctor?" she said, getting to her feet.

"Yes, it's me," he said, looking around. "Where are we?"

"Dunno. There's some shapeshifting alien that took me and Donna and River. We were together in a room and suddenly I got taken out and put in here."

The Doctor walked up to the edge of the chasm and Rose did the same. He peered down into it and looked at it, trying to guage the distance he had to jump to reach the other side.

"I see they're not going to make this easy for me," he said, stepping back. "Well, I hope whoever this shapeshifting alien is; he's having a laugh somewhere because I sure as hell don't find this funny."

He looked around but the walls were completely smooth and there was no way across. He cursed under his breath and turned his attention back to Rose who was studying him quietly.

"You look good," she said.

"Thanks, so do you," he said. "If you're wondering how I knew you were here, your fiancé is here with me. He used the TARDIS coral to send a message to me and I pulled him across to the TARDIS after we figured out you were in this universe."

"Is he alright?" Rose said.

"Um…he was up until a minute ago, after that, I was sent here and I have no idea what's become of them."

"What about you? Are you alright?" Rose said.

"I'm brilliant. A bit hungry but other than that, I'm in tip top shape. What about you? Are you alright? Have you been harmed?"

"No. That alien thing was taunting me and River and Donna by changing into you but that's all he's done to us so far."

"Donna, is she alright?"

"Yeah, he did something to restore her memories to her without it killing her. She remembers everything now and…your girlfriend…she's okay too."

"Rose, River and I…"

"Are a couple, yeah. Don't worry; I'm not going to yell at you for that. I'm engaged to my Doctor and moved on with my life and you did the same thing. River and I came to an understanding and we don't want to be rivals."

"I'm glad because both of you are dear to me," the Doctor said.

"I'm just glad you didn't forget me when you moved on with River."

"Forget you?" the Doctor said with an amused grin. "Rose, I could never forget any of the Tylers, all of you are larger than life and someone would have to take a sizable chunk out of my brain before I forgot you. I've always cared for you and that's why I gave the human version of myself to you. I only wanted you to be happy."

"At the expense of your own happiness."

The Doctor gave her a sad smile.

"I've had centuries of practice when it comes to dealing with heartache," he said.

"Doctor, that alien thing said you have to make a choice. Do you think it means between me and River?"

"I don't know but if that thing harms any of you, he'll live to regret it. And if it were a matter of choosing between you and River, why would Donna be involved? I never had a relationship with her, we were just friends. No, there's something else going on here and…"

"Doctor, look!" Rose said, pointing. "It's the alien; he did that last time when he taunted us."

The Doctor turned and saw the door opening by itself. He didn't see anyone but he watched while the door closed.

"Okay, according to Rose, you are in the room with us now," the Doctor said. "So…who are you and what do you want?"

A whitish mist appeared in front of him but the Doctor couldn't see any physical form in it.

"Is this what you are? Smoke?" the Doctor said. "Or…are you still hiding your true identity behind smoke and mirrors. I am the Doctor and you've picked the wrong man to irritate. I can easily make your life a living hell and I suggest you let my friends go before I get really cross!"

The smoke suddenly formed into Rose. The real Rose was shocked when she saw that the alien Rose was completely naked. The Doctor snorted at that.

"Please…don't even try something like this, I'm not in the mood," he said to the alien.

"You care for her?" the alien said, using Rose's voice. "She is your beloved?"

"Quit impersonating Rose and using her voice and quit standing here in the altogether before I pick you up and throw you into this chasm. Show me your true self, coward!"

"You care for her?" the alien said as it pointed to Rose.

"Yes, which is why I want you to stop impersonating her this instant," the Doctor growled. "If you're brave enough to take the people I care about then be brave enough to show me your true form."

He glared at the alien when it raised its hand and stroked his cheek. Rose watched uneasily as her double leaned in and kissed the Doctor's lips. The Doctor didn't move or return the kiss and the alien leaned back and put its hand on his cheek.

"I am growing angrier by the minute at these games of yours," the Doctor said. "I'm telling you for the last time, stop impersonating Rose and show me your true…"

Rose gasped when the bright light came and enveloped them both. She yelled the Doctor's name but when the light faded, they were gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Damn it, I said no more games!" the Doctor said when the light faded and he looked around for his alien tormentor.

He didn't see anyone and he looked around, wondering if the alien was invisible again. Then he turned around and saw Donna in the corner.

"Donna!" the Doctor said, overjoyed at seeing her and from the fact that there was no gaping hole separating him from his best friend.

But as he ran towards her, he slammed into an invisible force field and grunted as he staggered back and held his nose. Donna came towards it.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Except for my broken and bleeding nose, I'm just peachy," the Doctor said.

He held his hands out and stopped when he felt the wall. Donna did the same and they stood together, separated by the wall. The Doctor sighed and ran his hands along the solid force field.

"I just saw Rose and the alien put a huge chasm between us so I couldn't get to her, I suppose this is the chasm in this room. Do you know where River's gone to?"

"She was here but she vanished in a ball of bright light a few minutes before you arrived."

"So…I'm being forced to see each of you one by one, I'm guessing."

"So, you changed for real," Donna said. "Glad Rose told me what was going on the last time you nearly regenerated. You look good, not as thin as last time. Except…what's with the clothes?"

"Everyone always on about the clothes. I like my outfit. So let's change the subject, are you okay?"

Donna sighed angrily.

"Physically, yes, but I'm angry at you for what you did to me!"

"Donna, please, I had no choice. I had to take away your memories in order to save you."

"Then how come that…thing was able to bring them back without me dying?"

"First, I think he only brought back the memories and not your Time Lord mind…"

He asked her a complicated quantum physics question and nodded when he saw the blank look on her face.

"You only have your memories of our time together not the Time Lord mind so you're safe. But we don't know how strong the blocks are in your mind. He could have only put in rudimentary blocks and if he did and didn't make them strong enough there's a chance they could fail and your Time Lord mind will flood your mind again and then…Donna, you die. I know you didn't want me to erase your memories but I was trying to be merciful. You don't know how much it hurt to see you reduced to your former self. It tore me apart to leave you with your family instead of having you by my side. I have missed you, Donna Noble, but I would rather have you alive and with your family than dead."

Donna's eyes misted over and she swallowed hard. The Doctor put his hand against the barrier and Donna did the same.

"Can you help me?" Donna said. "Can you strengthen what the alien did so I can travel with you again?"

"I don't know but I'll try," the Doctor said. "All I care about is your safety, Donna. If you're in danger of burning up then I won't allow you to remember your time with me."

" I'd rather die then because what you gave me was a living death."

The Doctor swallowed hard and tried not to cry, knowing that his friend was right. If he had been in her position, he would have asked for death as well.

"I'm sorry, Donna, I did what I thought was best," the Doctor said in a choked up voice.

"I know you did, Spaceman, I'm sorry I'm being such a bitch to you," Donna said, softening up. "You did it to save my life and I s'pose I can't fault you for that. I'm just glad I got to see you again."

"Yeah, me too," the Doctor said. "Now we have to figure out why everyone's here and what this choice is?"

"I haven't a clue. That alien git was in here earlier but he was changing into you and taunting us."

"Rose said that. And it did the same with me, changed into a naked version of Rose and tried to get me to kiss it. If this alien thinks all of this is a big joke, he won't be laughing soon. AND IF YOU'RE IN HERE LISTENING TO US, YOU BETTER HEAR THOSE WORDS AND KNOW THAT I MEAN EVERY BIT OF IT!" he added, yelling back over his shoulder.

"LET US GO!" Donna yelled. "QUIT DOING THIS TO THE DOCTOR BEFORE I JOIN HIM IN PUMMLING YOU!"

They both waited and the Doctor shook his head when they got no reply.

"So the alien is either gone or is refusing to show itself or speak. I hate cheeky aliens," the Doctor said.

Donna was about to say something else when suddenly the Doctor was enveloped in another bright light. She screamed out a curse and banged her fists against the force field when it faded and she was alone again.

The Doctor gasped when the light faded and he was transported to another room.

"I'M SICK OF THESE GAMES!" the Doctor screamed as he balled his fists up. "So now where am I? Have you brought me to River then? Where is she?" he said, looking around the steel room.

He noticed a steel door in front of him. He slowly walked towards it and when he reached it, pounded on it in frustration. He stepped back when it slid open and he looked inside and sighed angrily when he saw only darkness.

"Right, I've had it," the Doctor said, stepping inside the room.

The door slid shut and an overhead light clicked on. River was in a long, thin Perspex box several feet in front of him. The box was so thin she couldn't sit or lie down, only stand up.

"Doctor," River said, putting her hands on the wall in front of her.

"River, are you alright?" the Doctor said, walking over to her.

"Yes, just a bit angry at all this."

"Trust me, you're not the only one," the Doctor said, putting his hand on the box. "With each of you, I've been prevented in some way from touching you. Rose was a chasm, Donna a force field wall and you…a Perspex box. I can look but I can't touch."

"Tormenting you," River said. "Your lovers and your friend and you can't touch and comfort them. I know you, Sweetie; I know how much anguish you're feeling inside."

The Doctor nodded.

"I hate when people play games with me and this is all one huge game to that alien. But people who play games with me very quickly learn to regret it and this will be no different."

"Doctor!" River said, pointing over his shoulder.

The Doctor turned and saw the alien. It was now dressed in a long black robe and had a black featureless cloth mask over his face with a black hood over the top of his head.

"Whoever you are, you're disguising yourself fairly well. You must know that I know you," the Doctor said. "That's it, isn't it? If I saw your true form, I would recognize you."

"You must make a choice," the alien said in a deep voice.

"Ah, so at least you're using your own voice now. What sort of choice."

"They will all die. But I will allow you to choose one. The one you choose will live while the others die."

The Doctor clenched his jaw, barely controlling his rage.

"You bastard," the Doctor snarled at him. "I will not choose one over the others. You will give them all back to me and let us go before you're the one who ends up dead!"

There was another flash of light. The Doctor heard the surprised yells of Jack and the others before the light faded. He was back with his friends and River was in front of him, still imprisoned. But now Rose and Donna had joined her, both in similar Perspex boxes. The three of them were placed side by side with Rose and Donna on the outside and River between them. The Doctor glared at the alien as it came up beside him.

"Choose. Choose who will live, Doctor. And then you and your friends will watch the other two die."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Well, Doctor, make your decision, who will live and who will die?" the being asked.

The Doctor stared at the three tubes in silent shock, his mind gone blank. He couldn't believe he had to make a choice between three of the people he cared about the most. As he stood there, rage began to bubble in his mind and he debated on if he could reach the being and break his neck before he vanished or did whatever he was going to do to the three women. He was about to try to reach him when John stepped up beside the Doctor.

"Excuse me, but I'm protesting," John said. "This isn't fair."

Everyone turned to look at him and John pointed to Rose.

"How come he gets to choose if she lives or dies when she's engaged to me? Shouldn't I get to choose since this is my fiancée?" John said to the being. "And Donna was my best friend and River…well, I don't know River all that well but still, I want to choose too."

"And me," Jack said. "Rose is my best friend and so is Donna and River…well, River's very cute, I have to say."

"Thank you," River said, smiling at him.

"But I demand the right to choose too," Jack said to the being.

"And me," Martha said, stepping up. "I also have a stake in this; I also want to choose who lives and who dies."

"And me, River's my friend," Amy said, stepping up alongside everyone else.

The Doctor noticed the being had fallen silent and was looking at all of them. He smirked sensing that the being wasn't counting on something like this happening. Then suddenly, everyone except Rory began to yell at the being, demanding the right to choose. Eleven smirked at that and joined in with them, hoping this was confusing the alien.

While this was going on, Rory stood at the back, his eyes darting from his friends to the alien. He could tell the alien had been shocked by this new development and his attention was focused on the Doctor and the others. He glanced at the tubes and noticed that the three women were watching everyone except for him. His eyes shifted back to the alien and he suddenly had an idea. He reached down inside himself to bring out his Rory the Roman persona and the courage that came along with it. He straightened his back and a determined look crossed his face. He inched over to the Doctor, standing right behind him while he kept his eyes on the being who was now protesting the fact that everyone else wanted a say in who lived and who died. Rory paused a moment, tensing his muscles, praying that this worked. Then suddenly with a yell, he leapt at the startled alien and tackled him.

"Yes!" the Doctor said before he and everyone else dog piled on the alien and pinned him down. "Good job, Rory!"

"Grab his arms!" Jack said to Rory as he got ahold of his left arm.

Rory grabbed the right and everyone got off as Rory and Jack forced the being to stand up. The being squirmed for a moment while everyone watched.

"No disappearing act then?" the Doctor said. "So, you're apparently not magical, eh?"

The being tried to squirm out of Rory and Jack's grasp while the Doctor ran his hands over his outfit. He pulled down the hood and ripped off the mask. They gasped when they saw his ruined face. The man's face was horribly scarred. It resembled Freddy Krueger and the Doctor stepped back in shock before he tried to get a good look at him.

"I don't recognize you," he said while John came forward to continue searching the man's clothes. "Even with your scarred face, you're still not familiar to me. Who are you?"

"I am Boron."

"Who?" the Doctor and John said in unison.

"Boron. You don't know me personally, but you were responsible for my face and for the loss of my loved ones."

"When?" the Doctor said.

"Time War. You and those damned Daleks fought a battle at Golder's Green and set my house on fire. I barely survived and I lost my entire family, because of you!" he spat out. "And if I lost the ones I love, you deserve to lose the ones you care about."

"And that makes you better than me, does it?" the Doctor growled. "That makes you the bigger man, killing innocent people in retaliation for something that was out of my control?"

"You destroyed my house!"

"Wrong! I'm willing to bet the Daleks did that because I have no memory of running into any house and setting fire to it. The Daleks were clearing out Golder's Green because there was a resistance movement and they were making sure that everyone involved with it was eliminated. Daleks, being Daleks, figured that mean everyone in the bloody town so they wiped everyone out! I tried to stop them but I'm only one man and there were approximately 200 of them attacking the town. I'm sorry for what happened to you and your family, I truly am, but a life for a life will solve nothing. These people in the tubes weren't there and had nothing to do with the Time War. You're willing to kill one of them and have their blood on your hands just to settle a vendetta? If you were any sort of man, you'd take me on rather than pick on people who weren't even around when the Time War was going on."

"Aha!" John said, pulling a small silver box out of a hidden pocket. "Is this what sets them free?" John said, holding it up to Boron. "What sets them free?"

"Push the top button and it releases them," Boron said.

He grunted when John seized the collar of his shirt and brought his face close.

"You better be telling the truth because if I push this button and they die, you go next," he snarled at Boron before releasing him.

The Doctor watched while John aimed the box at the tubes and pressed the button. To his relief, the glass vanished, leaving only the metal bases. Rose leapt off her base, ran to John and hugged him while River ran to the Doctor and put her hand on her back.

"Hello, sweetie, bit busy?" she said to him.

"Just a bit, yeah? Nice to see you again," the Doctor said to her. "And you, thank you for being truthful," he said to Boron.

Donna stood behind the Doctor, a smile on her face while she watched John embracing Rose and River rubbing the Doctor's back. She looked over when Jack beckoned to her.

"Come here, Ginger Gal," Jack said. "I'll give ya a warm welcome."

Donna beamed at that and Donna walked to him. He slid one arm around her and kissed her cheek while Donna blushed. The Doctor told Rory and Jack to lead Boron over to Rose's platform. They did and quickly backed away when John pushed the button and the glass came back.

"Now you know how it feels to be trapped inside the tube," the Doctor said. "Now…if I were a right bastard, I would kill you in there but I'm not like you. You've been through enough hell as it is. Now…since you offered me a choice, I will now give you one. Here is your choice, you can either go to a galactic prison on kidnapping charges and stay there for a long, long time or…you can leave here and not bother me or my friends again. Which is it?"

"Kill me," Boron said.

"Do you want that?" the Doctor said.

"You took everything precious to me."

"No, Boron, the Daleks did. I was trying to stop them, I believe I just went over this with you," the Doctor said. "I can't change the past and I can't stop you from being bitter but I will stop you from harming others if you insist on trying to get your revenge on me. So…Boron, which is it? Prison or home, because I won't kill you. There were far too many deaths in the Time War without adding another casualty. So what'll it be?"

Boron glared at him for a moment and then looked at his feet.

"Home," he said bitterly.

"Then you'll come with us in my TARDIS and I'll take you home but I'm warning you…don't ever try to hurt me or the people I care about or next time I won't be so merciful."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Once everyone was back inside the TARDIS, John and Jack kept watch over Boron while they stood by the console. The Doctor was taking Boron back home. Meanwhile, the others were in the TARDIS kitchen having some tea and biscuits while they waited for the Doctor to take them back home. While they did that, Rose excused herself. Setting her cup of tea down, she wandered out into the corridor. She slowly walked down the hallway, looking around, taking everything in so she'd have the memory before she had to go back home with John.

"Are you alright?"

Rose turned and saw Donna had followed her.

"Yeah, just saying another goodbye to the TARDIS before the Doctor takes us back," Rose said with a shrug.

"I wonder what will become of me," Donna said. "I don't want to go back but he has others traveling with him now, would he even want me to go with him?"

"I think he would. I think he'd take you back as long as he could stabilize your memories," Rose said. "Ask him, the worst he can say is no, yeah? And if he does, back you go to your family."

"But…"

"Yeah?" Rose said when Donna trailed off and fell silent.

"I don't want you or John to go back to the other universe," Donna said. "You're my friend and I wanna be able to see you. Maybe not the nutter so much, but you…you don't belong over there, you belong here."

"That's why I returned the last time and the Doctor took me right back because he didn't want John in the same universe as him."

Donna's jaw tightened.

"Could you excuse me a moment, Rose. I want to say something to the Dunce," she said.

Rose chuckled, figuring out what Donna was about to say to him.

"Glad I'm not you at the moment, Doctor," she murmured before she continued walking down the corridor.

Jack and John were chatting by the console when Donna stomped into the room.

"Where is he? Where is the Doctor," she said angrily.

"Ought oh, Noble's on the warpath," John said to Jack.

"Um, we've landed on Ruwan and the Doctor took Boron back to his house. He's outside somewhere. What's wrong?"

Donna walked over to John.

"Boron gave the Doctor a choice between us which is more than you'll have, I'm sure, when he takes you and Rose back to the other universe," Donna said to John. "So answer me truthfully, do you want to go back or stay here? Because if I'm able to keep my mind, I want you and Rose here where I can visit you."

"Um…well, I wouldn't mind staying here," John said. "But I'm not the one who has family in the other universe. If Rose came here, she'd have to leave her mum, dad and Tony over there. So, I would ask her this question."

"But none of it matters if the Doctor just decides to chuck you out the door again," Donna said. "Which is why I'm having a little chat with him when he returns."

Jack snickered when Donna walked over to his jump seat, plopped down and folded her arms over her chest while she waited. Jack and John shared a gleeful look.

"Anyway, where were we?" Jack said his friend before they resumed their chat.

Twenty minutes later, the door opened and the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief when he came inside and closed it.

"I think that's sorted out," the Doctor said to Jack and John. "He told me how he managed to pull Rose across the void so I think I can recreate…"

"Doctor, a word with you…"

The Doctor froze and John and Jack sniggered when they suddenly heard Donna speaking to the Doctor in a stern tone of voice.

"Yes, Donna?" the Doctor said, climbing the stairs and walking over to the jump seat.

"You were offered a choice between us today so I'm asking you to give John and Rose a choice between staying here or going back. They're both adults and they're capable of making their own decision. Not to mention I would like them here with me, especially if you take me back to my house. Will you do that for me instead of just going across the void and throwing them back out the door."

"Well, I…I suppose I can ask," the Doctor said, throwing a sheepish glance at John who sniggered.

"I told Donna, I wouldn't mind staying here but it's really up to her, she's the one with family over there. I will do whatever she wants to do. I go where she goes."

"AHHHH, THAT'S SO SWEEET!"

"Jack, get off me!" John said when Jack draped his body over him and wrapped his arms around him.

Jack chuckled and tousled John's hair.

"Glad that wasn't me just then," the Doctor said. "S'pose I should go find Rose then and ask."

"She's in the corridors…or she was when I last saw her," Donna said.

"Well, the TARDIS can take me to her then," the Doctor said.

He started to walk off when Donna got up and stopped him.

"Thank you," Donna said.

"Well, it was either defy you or risk a beating and I don't think I want a beating from Donna Noble," he teased.

He patted her cheek when she rolled her eyes and hurried up the stairs to the back door. As he walked, he asked the TARDIS to take him to Rose. The TARDIS instantly shifted the corridors and Rose gasped when he was directly in front of her in a heartbeat.

"I hate when she does that," Rose said, putting her hand over her heart. "I wanted to say goodbye to her before you took us back."

The Doctor's hearts lurched at that and guilt flooded his mind.

"Rose, Donna spoke with me," the Doctor said, coming towards her.

"That all? She didn't beat you senseless for not offering us a choice?"

"She was just about to before I stopped her," the Doctor said. "But she's right, Rose. It's unfair of me to keep forcing you to go back there. You're adults and you need to determine the course of your own life. John said he'll go where you go since you have family in the other universe and the decision will affect you more than him. What do you want to do?"

Rose chuckled.

"Good old Donna, I wasn't even going to ask but she seems not to be intimidated by ya."

"Yeah, she has a habit of getting in my face and issuing her demands," the Doctor said.

"Well, I'd like to stay here. On Earth, I mean…this Earth…we still have our TARDIS coral and I think John and I want to use that but in the meantime, we were planning to settle down for a bit, perhaps have a child?"

She came closer to him and took his hand.

"I have moved on with John but at the same time, I would like to still be friends with you. I missed you and the crazy times we used to have. I would like to travel sometimes if you'll have me, just for old time's sake?"

"In between makin' babies?" the Doctor said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I think we want one baby at the moment," Rose said.

"Ah, Rose, look at you, hard to believe you're the same girl I took to Satellite Five with me all those years ago," he said, putting his hand on her cheek. "You've grown and changed since then."

"Well, you've changed as well, not sure about grown," Rose said.

The Doctor chuckled and pulled her in for a hug. Rose wrapped her arms around him and sighed while the Doctor rubbed her back.

"Everything I did, I did because I loved you," the Doctor whispered to her. "I wanted only the best for you, I wanted you to have the happy ending you always dreamed about and now you can have that with John."

"Yes, but I still want you in my life as a friend," Rose said, looking at him. "You have River and I have my Doctor but that doesn't mean we can't be best mates, yeah?"

"I'd like that," the Doctor said. "I missed traveling with you after you went across the void. I missed having laughs and seeing the universe with you at my side. I would love to have you come with me on occasion…and John," he added quickly. "He and I need to work some things out."

"Good, because you don't need to be at odds with him," Rose said. "What about River though. Are you happy with her? Truthfully? I won't get angry."

"She makes me very happy."

"Good, because I want you to have someone," Rose said. "I don't want you to be alone, curse or no curse, you need some happiness too."

"Thanks," the Doctor said.

Rose squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek.

"Keep an eye on Amy and Rory, I like them and don't you dare get them killed."

"Well, with Rory, that might be a tall order," the Doctor said.

They shared one more hug together before they headed back to the console room.

(A week later…)

"Good morning, kiddies," the Doctor said as Amy and Rory came down the stairs and headed to the console. "Sleep well?"

"As well as we can on bunkbeds," Amy said.

"Bunkbeds are cool, I don't know why you don't like them," the Doctor said. "You can go up to the top or head down below. You could even throw a large blanket over the top bed and have a tent in the bottom."

"There ya go," Rory said to Amy, "that's how we'll solve our little problem, make them into a tent."

"What problem is that?" the Doctor said with a frown.

"Ugh, the man is completely gormless sometimes," Amy said with a dismissive wave. "So, what are we doing today, O fearless leader?"

"Well, Rose and John have moved into their new house, courtesy of me and I received a phone call from Rose and she wants us to come and see it. She invited Donna and her family and Jack and his team to come and have a dekko at their swanky new residence. So…interested?"

Amy and Rory smiled and nodded and the Doctor jumped up.

"Right! Let's go take a look then," he said as he set the controls for London.

THE END.


End file.
